MAKING IMPACT The Donate Movement 2010-2011
On June 28, 2010, Goodwill速 launched a corporate social responsibility platform and public awareness initiative focused on the positive impact of donating: the Donate Movement.
U.S. consumers send 18 billion pounds of clothing and textiles to landfills annually, according to the EPA. Add to this waste electronics, small appliances and other household goods – all non-degradable and dangerous materials. As the population increases and consumption grows, our planet’s resources are increasingly at risk. Apparel producers, electronics manufacturers and outdoor industries – and the retailers that carry their goods – increasingly recognize the need to own the full lifecycle of their products. Beyond responsible manufacturing and distribution, industry leaders are educating consumers on better ways to care for products, including responsible end of use.
“Goodwill has been an environmental pioneer and social innovator of the ‘reduce, reuse, repurpose’ practice for nearly 110 years. Diverting more than 2 billion pounds of goods from landfills annually, Goodwill joins environmentally and socially responsible companies in bringing this sustainability message to consumers across the United States and Canada.” – Jim Gibbons, President and CEO, Goodwill Industries International
WHAT IS A PAIR OF JEANS WORTH? Consumers value the products they buy. The latest computer connects people to the world around them. A new pair of hiking boots helps them explore natural wonders. A fresh pair of jeans provides comfort, style and practicality. But when they are no longer needed, what value can these items bring to others?
JUNE 2010
That same computer and that pair of boots and jeans can fuel programs that help millions of people each year. When consumers donate their used items to reputable nonprofits like Goodwill, they can strengthen their communities while building a more sustainable world.
“It’s not just about recycling. It’s about repurposing. Items brought to Goodwill can have a second life, and their sale fuels the enterprise that empowers people to find new life in themselves.” – Jerry Davis, President and CEO, Goodwill Industries of Central Texas
Goodwill has seen an increase in demand for services over the past several years. Between 2007 and 2010, the number of persons Goodwill served jumped from 1.1 million to 2.4 million annually. That’s where the Donate Movement comes in. Together with some of the world’s most iconic brands, Goodwill is increasing conscious donating by raising awareness of the positive impact donated goods can make in their communities and on the planet. Goodwill’s job placement and other essential community-based programs are funded by revenue generated from the sale of donated goods, like that pair of jeans.
Levi Strauss & Co. announces the Care Tag initiative – a fashion industry-first – and unveils the Donate icon. Among the outcomes of Levi’s® efforts, other corporations take notice. More partnerships develop as the Donate Movement is launched.
PARTNERING FOR A CAUSE Levi Strauss & Co. joined Goodwill in launching the Donate Movement. Their innovative ‘Care Tag for Our Planet’ reminds consumers that environmental responsibility starts with their own actions. To demonstrate its commitment, Levi’s® includes the donate message in every pair of jeans sold throughout the world.
SEPTEMBER 2010
Lorie Marrero, professional organizer and creator of The Clutter Diet,® joined Goodwill at the launch of the Donate Movement as the official spokesperson. Lorie emphasizes what it means to be a conscious donor. “It’s more than just knowing that you shouldn’t throw usable items away,” she says. “It’s recognizing that donating to the right nonprofit helps improve people’s lives.” In the fall of 2010, Family Circle magazine and Goodwill led a national back-to-school donation drive. Leveraging family and community-minded individuals, Family Circle delivered the Donate Movement message to 19.8 million readers activating them to donate to Goodwill.
In early 2011, two more partners joined the Donate Movement: Hanes,® the world’s largest clothing manufacturer, and Planet Green,TM a channel of Discovery Communications. Hanes encouraged consumers to “clean out their drawers” through an interactive donation drive. Goodwill and Planet Green joined efforts to build awareness through PSA placement and interactive online engagement at planetgreen.com. In the spring of 2011, Gap, Inc. became a Donate Movement partner and launched a donation event in Gap stores in the United States and Canada. Gap rewarded customers with discounts for donations and collected donations at more than 900 locations.
As one of the most widely read monthly magazines in the world, a partnership with Family Circle urges its readers to join the Donate Movement. Readers’ donations to Goodwill divert an average of 10 million pounds of clothing from landfills per year.
BUILDING MOMENTUM Thanks to the support, strength and leadership of individual Goodwill agencies and corporate partners, the Donate Movement is growing. The goal is to establish the Donate icon as the universal symbol of donation, akin to the recycling symbol. Through innovative grassroots efforts that range from donation drives on college campuses to public service announcements on county fair jumbo screens, fashion shows and more, local Goodwill agencies are introducing communities to the Donate icon and raising awareness for the Movement.
Combined with partner resources, Goodwill’s network of more than 2,500 stores and online communities provides ideal platforms for reaching consumers. The online community has embraced the Donate Movement – blogging, posting, emailing and encouraging friends to join the cause.
“There is an organic alignment between Goodwill and our partners. Through combining our individual resources, we are telling a bigger story than any of us could on our own.”
With so many choices available to consumers when donating their used items, it is essential to demonstrate the social impact of their donations. In fact, that social impact is the cornerstone of the Donate Movement. Since its launch, more than 264,000 calculations have been made on the patent-pending Donation Impact Calculator, located at donate.goodwill.org. This first-of-its-kind online tool allows consumers to calculate how many hours of job training and other Goodwill services their donations help provide to people in their own communities.
– Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez, President and CEO, Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties
Hanes® joins the Donate Movement, launching a national “Clean Out Your Drawers” month prompting its million-plus online followers to donate responsibly. Cross-promoted in stores and online, Goodwill’s Facebook and Twitter following alone generated more than 40% of the campaign’s online traffic.
HELPING PEOPLE A donation bag stuffed with jeans, sweaters and baby clothes was seemingly nothing more than someone’s unwanted clothes when they donated it to Goodwill. But, at Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries in Boston, that donation gave dignity and hope. For 38-year-old Treena Hogan, that bag of used clothes provided eight weeks of job training through the Human Service Employment Ladder Program.
MAY 2011
Treena was homeless, unemployed, and doing her best to care of for a teenager with learning and psychological disabilities. When she turned to Goodwill, her life changed. Today, she has a job as a pre-school teacher and her daughter has a mentor. “So many things happened in just eight weeks,” she says. “I benefited from so many programs, all in that one building.” For Charlie Sheets, donations of clothing and household items to Goodwill of Greater Washington meant on-the-job training at a time when he desperately needed help. Charlie was hit by a car and suffered serious injuries. He spent 21 days in a coma followed by four years in a wheelchair before
regaining use of his legs. His injuries prohibited him from returning to work as a roofer. With no other skills or education to fall back on, he turned to Goodwill. After just one week in a work-adjustment training program, Charlie received his first paycheck in five years. He then graduated from a computer training course and is now employed as a full-time data entry associate with Goodwill of Greater Washington. “I enjoy getting up and going to work everyday,” says Charlie. “Not many people can say that and mean it.” Millions of people like Charlie and Treena walk through Goodwill’s doors every year. Donations, large and small, are essential to ensuring that they, too, will get the help they need.
Gap kicks off its support for the Donate Movement with an in-store donation drive. Gap aims to expand its commitment through employee volunteerism with local Goodwill agencies in communities across the United States and Canada.
MOVING FORWARD “It took about 30 years for the recycling symbol to really gain traction and become universally accepted. We don’t have 30 or 40 years at this point. What we need to do is work together. My challenge is for us to go forth together and make the Donate icon the universal symbol of donation.” – Jason McBriarty, Director, Worldwide Community Affairs, Levi Strauss & Co. and Levi Strauss Foundation
APRIL 2011
Changing consumer behavior by creating conscious and responsible donors is key to the continued success of the Donate Movement. With Goodwill’s leadership and history as an environmental pioneer, we know consumer awareness and activation will grow. Goodwill’s innovative partnerships combine environmental stewardship with the power of community strengthening – a model that works and a model many more will follow. What started as a movement of a few will ultimately lead to the universal recognition of a donate symbol stamped on clothing, household items, electronics, sporting goods, and other reusable items. The Donate Movement is self-sustaining, empowering people to make a difference through the simple act of donation. Already, there are Donate Movement champions of all ages throughout the United States and Canada.
“It doesn’t matter what your financial status is, everyone can donate used items. That means everyone can support their fellow man and community.” – Bill J. Kacal, 2010-2011 Chairman of the Board, Goodwill Industries International In 2011, Goodwill and its partners will utilize online resources including an interactive donation match game and a video for youth and educators in order to broaden online awareness for the Donate Movement. Goodwill and its partners are creating a lifetime of conscious donors, making it a core value in young people and reinforcing it in those who have donated to Goodwill for years. The Donate Movement is making impact – for Goodwill, for its partners, for people, and for the planet.
Advancing the conversation on sustainability, Planet Green leverages its multi-media platform to tell the Donate Movement story to its 57 million television viewers. Millions more are engaged online to calculate their impact at donate.goodwill.org.
DONATE MOVEMENT • MORE THAN 700 MILLION earned media audience impressions • 1,116 earned media placements (Average 101 per month) • MORE THAN 600,000 Facebook impressions • 264,148 Donation Impact Calculations • MORE THAN 21,000 Donate Movement-related tweets ®
GOODWILL
• In 2010, Goodwill provided employment training, job placement services and other community-based services to 2.4 million people in the United States and Canada. • In 2010, nearly 170,000 people in the United States and Canada obtained meaningful employment as a result of Goodwill career services programs. • Goodwill has earned the trust and support of more than 74 million donors in the United States and Canada. • 84% of collective revenues raised through the sale of donated goods go directly toward supporting and growing Goodwill’s critical community-based programs and services. • Goodwill diverts more than two billion pounds of clothing and textiles every year from landfills by recovering the value in people’s unwanted material goods. • Every 42 seconds of every business day, a person served by Goodwill earns a good job. Every 13 seconds, another person accesses Goodwill opportunities to build careers and strong families.
donate.goodwill.org